The Great Paint Debate: Stop Blaming the Paint

Val Frania:

Hello, you are listening to Flipping Furniture for profit. I'm your host, Val Frania, and today I'm going to say something you might not love right away. It's not the paint. It could be the weather. Maybe the cat. Or it might even be YOU. I'm just gonna say it. You need to stop blaming the paint.

Last week, we talked about how to choose the right paint. But today I want to talk about what happens after you've already made that choice. Because this is where people get frustrated. They switch brands, they try something new. They assume the problem is the paint. When most of the time it's not. They assume the product is the problem, when most of the time it's not.

When I first started flipping, I spray painted a door for our entryway, the one you see the second you walk in. I painted it red, added some character to it, put a decorative knob on it, and we mounted it to the wall with hooks for coats and bags. It's become part of our everyday life. And at first it looked great, but over time something started to happen. The paint cracked just slightly in places. The sections separated a bit and you could see a darker color peeking through around the edges. Then, with everyday use coats being tossed on it, bags brushing up against it, keys being thrown on the hook. It started wearing down on the raised areas and what I could have considered a mistake. It turned into one of my favorite pieces in my home. It looks aged. It looks really authentic, full of character. I mean, after all, it's a hundred year old door. So I took a risk painting it. I could have lost the character and at first, it kind of looked that way.

It looked too perfect, but I couldn't have planned the outcome if I'd tried. It wasn't about the paint being wrong. That was about how it was applied and how it was lived over time. I love that piece, and that's what we're really talking about today, because you can take the exact same paint and get completely different results depending on how you use it. I just finished a nightstand for the sons of a friend.

I've mentioned it before in other episodes, and I wanted to create some texture on the top and drawer front. I wanted it to be something special because she was my friend, so I mixed black paint with a salt wash product to build texture underneath the finish. The gray finish. The gray finish coat would be sanded to bring out the black texture underneath. But it didn't turn out the way I expected when I sanded the finish coat. The peaks of the salt wash texture were too small and not thick enough.

The contrast between the black texture and the grey finish coat wasn't right. And when I sanded it, I burned right through to the wood. The texture coat was just too thin. It just wasn't working. So instead of starting over, I changed my method. I applied a much thicker layer this time and gently sanded it before I applied the top finish coat. And instead of sanding back the gray paint like I typically would to reveal the black underneath, I painted two coats over it of the gray, and then added three layers of water based polyurethane in gloss. And that changed everything. The texture became softer and thicker, which actually made it more durable. Perfect for kids.

The finish looked more refined, more intentional, smoother to the touch. So it wouldn't trap dust like the first version would have. And then using that gloss topcoat, different from the body, made the textured finish really stand out. Same products. Completely different result. And here's the part I love. That friend has told everyone how much she loves it. That's the difference, not the paint, the method. And this is where I want you to start shifting how you think about paint altogether.

Paint isn't just something you brush on out of a can. It's a tool. Well, actually, it's a whole set of tools. You can layer it, you can thin it into a wash, you can dry brush it for dimension. You can blend colors together. You can add texture with products like Salt wash. You can tint one color to create your own custom accent. You can create finishes to look aged, worn, completely smooth, and modern using the same base paint.

These aren't just techniques, they're design choices, ones you learn as you go along and try out new ideas. I once did a challenge where I had others recreate one of my pieces, an accent table I called Ruby. Everyone used my piece as inspiration. I included photographs, a video explanation on how I accomplished the look, and then I just gave it to the people participating in the challenge, and every single one turned out differently. And that's exactly how it should be. Because art reflects the artist. One of a kind pieces are what make this work so special. We are furniture artists.

I did another challenge with a friend where we used the exact same paint products, the same two colors, and refinished multiple pieces to create sets. She did two pieces. I did three. Same products, same exact colors, and they still turned out wildly different. Different styles, different finishes, different personality. That's because we're different people. Different hands, different vision. So when you're scrolling, you see people talking about paint brands or colors, and one person loves it and another doesn't. That's why.

We all apply paint differently. We expect different things from it. We all see something different in the finished piece. We all have different visions and this is important for two reasons. First, never be offended when someone copies, quote unquote, your design. They can try, but they'll never recreate everything that makes it yours. And second, don't put pressure on yourself to perfectly duplicate someone else's work. You're not meant to be a carbon copy. Look for inspiration, not duplication.

Now let's talk about some of the practical sides of this, because yes, method matters, but so does understanding your materials. Some paints don't play well together, so be careful how you pair them. Some paints require sanding between coats, others don't. Some require a topcoat. Others are designed without one. Some have longer re-coat times. Longer cure times. And if you don't pay attention to that, you're going to run into problems. Paint needs to do what it's designed to do. It off gases as it dries, which means those solvents are releasing into the air as it cures. If you rush that process, whether it's applying another coat too soon or adding a top coat too early, you can trap that underneath.

That's where you start seeing issues like bubbling, poor adhesion, finishes that just don't hold up. Your tools matter too. A low nap roller gives you a smoother finish than a thick one. A quality brush will lay down differently than a cheap one. Even the way you apply it with a quality brush makes a difference. How much paint you put on your brush makes a difference. Dense foam brushes, good ones, can give you a beautiful finish when used correctly.

And spraying? Ooh, that's a whole different level when done right. Even how you store your paint matters. Be aware of the temperature in the room. Do not store your paint out in a cold garage. If you're in the south, don't store your paint in the garage because it gets pretty hot. Be aware of what paint needs to stay in good shape.

Now, one thing you'll hear a lot when you start working with paint, is VOCs. And if you're new, you might not even know what VOC stands for. All that means is Volatile Organic Compounds. And that's just a fancy way of saying chemicals in the paint that turn into gas and release into the air as the paint dries. So when you smell that paint smell, that is the paint off gassing. Some paints are labeled low VOC and even no VOC. But here's something most people don't realize. When the store adds color those tints, they can actually introduce VOCs right back into the paint. So even if the base says low VOC or no VOC, it doesn't always stay that way once it's mixed. Now why does that matter? Because breathing in those fumes, especially over time or in an enclosed space, can cause things like headaches, dizziness, irritation to your eyes and throat. And for some people, it can be more serious if there's long term exposure. So this isn't about being afraid of paint. It's just about being aware and being smart.

Simple things make a big difference. Work in a well-ventilated space whenever you can. Open windows or use a fan. We have a fan out in our garage. When D H sprays paint, that fan keeps the air moving, taking it right out of the garage. If you're working with stronger products or spraying, a proper mask, respirator, is really a good idea and give your pieces time to cure before bringing them into a fully closed up space. Because again, paint needs time to do what it's designed to do. It's not just drying, it's releasing what needs to come out of it. And once you understand that, you start making better decisions, not just for your finish, for what it looks like, but for your environment, your home.

Have you encountered paint goobers yet? I often will wrap my paint cans to keep the air out, or transfer paint into glass containers to preserve it longer. And when you close that, paint can, don't hammer directly on the lid. Lay a piece of wood over it and tap it down so the lid seals flat. Otherwise you can warp it and that lets air in, which leads to those little dried chunks. That's what I call the paint goobers, that you end up having to strain out later. There's so many things like this that add up. Painting a second coat too soon can cause issues. Repainting over an unknown finish can be risky if you don't know what's underneath. White paint can yellow for a variety of reasons. Tannins. Sunlight. Thick application im proper sealing. Even contamination from dipping your brush back into the can. That's why I pour my paint into a separate container and then paint from there.

And this is where I want to bring bring it back to full circle because I had a piece once a mid-century modern or, MCM, that I didn't even like. My husband picked it up from a coworker for ten bucks because it was cheap, and he was confident that I could make it beautiful again. I loved his confidence, but what he didn't know, well, okay, maybe he did, is that I'm not a fan of mid-century modern. I grew up with it. To me, it just felt outdated. Nothing special. It was kind of similar to the way my mom felt about antiques. Antiques are a big deal, right? Well, to my mom back when I talked to her about it, she said, that's just old junk. We all have our own perspectives, don't we? So that MCM dresser sat for a while, just sitting there waiting for me to decide what to do with it. And honestly, I didn't have much interest in it at first, but eventually I decided to give it a shot. I redesigned it in a way that felt more like me, more aligned with what I enjoy creating. And that piece ended up selling for four hundred and seventy nine dollars to someone who absolutely loved the style, and that exact color. And then something even better happened. She came back with another piece and she asked me to match it. And that one sold for the same price. Not bad for something I originally thought was ugly and not worth my time. So sometimes it's not the piece. Sometimes it's not the paint, it's how you see it and how you use it. If you didn't catch last week's episode, I walked through the different types of paint and how to choose what's right for your project, and also have a simple paint types guide that breaks down even further. I'll link that for you.

And if you're at the point where you're tired of guessing and you want to understand how this fits together, the paint, the prep, the process, the design, and then the marketing, that's exactly what I teach inside Furniture Flipping Blueprint Pro because the truth is, you're not just learning paint, you're learning all the little things that go with it. There are one hundred and eleven different things that can affect how your paint turns out, how you apply it when you apply it, what's underneath it, the prep, how long you wait, what tools you use, and trying to piece all that together on your own, or waiting for answers online and hoping they apply to your situation. That's where the frustration comes in. Inside FFB Pro, you're not left guessing and you're not waiting around trying to figure it out. You understand what you're doing and why it works.

Okay, so I'll leave you with this. Getting a smooth finish with no brush strokes has nothing to do with the paint you're using. It has everything to do with how you use it. And I assure you, no paint cans were harmed in the making of this episode. So thanks for listening. And remember, progress beats perfection every time. If you're at the point where your guessing is getting old, that's usually when people come to find me. Go to ValFrania.com/LearnToFlip and take a look at how you can get some guidance that makes a difference. Blessings.